Thanks to its unique mandate on bioethics, UNESCO has for decades led international efforts to ensure that science and technology are developed within an ethical framework.

Whether it is genetic research, climate change or scientific research, UNESCO has developed universal standards to maximize the benefits of scientific discoveries while minimizing downside risks, ensuring their contribution to a more inclusive, sustainable and peaceful world. It has also identified frontier challenges in areas such as the ethics of neurotechnology, climate engineering and the Internet of Things.

The rapid rise of artificial intelligence (AI) has created new opportunities globally: from facilitating health diagnoses to enabling human connections through social media, as well as increasing work efficiency by automating tasks.

However, these rapid changes also raise profound ethical dilemmas, arising from the potential for AI-based systems to reproduce biases, contribute to climate degradation, and threaten human rights, among others. These risks associated with AI add to already existing inequalities, further harming historically marginalized groups.